Science fiction · Similar reads
Books like The Three-Body Problem
The best books like The Three-Body Problem are Cosmos, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, and Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin is about first contact and civilization, cultural revolution and ideology, scientific progress. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Cosmos
01
Carl Sagan · Science
Cosmos is Carl Sagan's attempt to tell the full story of the universe and humanity's place in it — from the Big Bang to the origins of life to the rise of science as a way of knowing.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
02
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Neil deGrasse Tyson · Science
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is Neil deGrasse Tyson's deliberately compact introduction to the biggest ideas in modern astrophysics.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
03
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari · History
Sapiens traces the full arc of human history from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa roughly 70,000 years ago to the present.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
04
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Yuval Noah Harari · History
Homo Deus picks up where Sapiens left off, but turns to face the other direction.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Brief History of Time
05
Stephen Hawking · Science
A Brief History of Time is Stephen Hawking's attempt to explain the biggest questions in physics — where the universe came from, how it behaves, and where it might be going — to readers with no scientific training.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
06
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Thomas S. Kuhn · Science
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, first published in 1962, changed how historians, philosophers, and scientists think about how science advances.
Both dig into scientific progress.
Read the summary → - 2001: A Space Odyssey
07
Arthur C. Clarke · Science fiction
2001: A Space Odyssey begins with prehistoric man-apes encountering a featureless black monolith that somehow catalyzes their cognitive leap from prey to hunter.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Fire Upon the Deep
08
Vernor Vinge · Science fiction
The galaxy in A Fire Upon the Deep is zoned by the speed of thought: near the galactic core, the Slowness, where intelligence itself is limited; farther out, the Unthinking Depths; and further still, the Transcend, where entities of incomprehensible intelligence emerge and occasionally intervene in the affairs of the merely civilized.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
09
A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Becky Chambers · Science fiction
Rosemary Harper boards the Wayfarer under a false identity, hoping to escape a family history she cannot speak about.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Memory Called Empire
10
Arkady Martine · Science fiction
Mahit Dzmare, ambassador from a small, semi-independent mining station to the vast Teixcalaanli Empire, arrives at the capital to find her predecessor has died under suspicious circumstances and the neural implant that was supposed to give her access to his memories and knowledge is three years out of date.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - All Systems Red
11
Martha Wells · Science fiction
Murderbot is a SecUnit — part robot, part cloned human tissue — that has hacked its own governor module and is technically free, though it has chosen not to tell anyone.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary → - Annihilation
12
Jeff VanderMeer · Science fiction
A team of four unnamed women — the biologist, the anthropologist, the surveyor, and the psychologist — enter Area X, a forbidden coastal wilderness where something has gone wrong for decades.
A kindred science fiction read.
Read the summary →
Books like The Three-Body Problem: quick answers
What are the best books like The Three-Body Problem?
The best books like The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin are Cosmos by Carl Sagan, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Three-Body Problem, such as first contact and civilization, cultural revolution and ideology, scientific progress.
What should I read after The Three-Body Problem?
A natural next read after The Three-Body Problem is Cosmos by Carl Sagan. A kindred science fiction read. Other strong choices are Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari.
What books are similar to The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin?
The Three-Body Problem centers on first contact and civilization, cultural revolution and ideology, scientific progress. Books with a similar feel include Cosmos by Carl Sagan, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
